Documenting the arrest or abuse of journalists in Ferguson

I saw this article and thought it would be great to have a thread on this one subject only.

August 19, 2014

Lukas Hermsmeier of Bild: source | records request.
Ryan Devereaux of the Intercept: source | records request.

August 18, 2014

Ansgar Graw of Die Welt: source | records request.
Frank Hermann of Der Standard: source | records request.
Scott Olson of Getty Images: source | records request.
Kerry Picket of Breitbart News: source | records request.

August 17, 2014

Rob Crilly of The Telegraph: source | records request.
Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated: source | records request.
Neil Munshi of the Financial Times: source | records request.

August 13, 2014

Antonio French, St. Louis alderman and citizen journalist: source | records request.
Wesley Lowery of The Washington Post: source | records request (by J. K. Trotter).
Ryan J. Reilly of The Huffington Post: source | records request (by J. K. Trotter).

Link.

Here is Ryan Devereaux's account from last night.

We were on the sidewalk chatting when the police began firing tear gas canisters in our direction...

...Hermsmeier and I were stuck...

...The situation did not look or feel good...

We decided our best bet was to walk north on Gage Dr. in hopes of getting beyond the wall of gas and finding a safe route to our car. We didn’t make it far. Between the gaps in the houses we could see the armored vehicles quickly moving up and down W. Florissant, parallel to us. Two turns and the police would find us off that main road and, potentially, shoot at us. We took cover behind a large tree in case the firing started again.

It was then that one of the armored vehicles entered the neighborhood once more, this time ahead of us, slowly moving in the direction we were walking. With their high-powered lights scanning the neighborhood, the only option we had was to announce ourselves as members of the press and hope they wouldn’t shoot. We stepped out of the shadows, our hands in the air, and began yelling, “Press!” and “Journalists!” and “We’re media!” over and over. An officer on top of the vehicle turned his light on us. After a pause, he beckoned us forward. We continued walking, our hands still in the air, still shouting that we were journalists.

With rifles trained on us, we turned right on Highmunt Dr., in the direction of W. Florissant and toward another police vehicle, which had more guns pointed at us. As we made our way forward, I heard a pop and felt a stinging in my lower back. I jumped up instinctively, and realized that the officers behind us, the ones who had asked us to move forward, had shot us with what I believe were rubber bullets. I was hit once and Hermsmeier was hit twice.

His account continues:

We were frightened. The police, who made no verbal commands that we had heard, had clearly demonstrated their willingness to shoot us. With several similarly armed and approaching officers directly in front of us, we dove behind a car, expecting more shooting. The police came upon us with their guns pointed directly at us. We continued repeating that we were journalists. They pulled us out from behind the car, walked us to their armored vehicles, and zip-tied our hands behind our backs.

...We were jailed with a cross-section of the Ferguson protesters.

Wow....and I thought last night looked more peaceful. Guess I had that wrong.

a reply to: loam
Wesley Lowerery was arrested on 8/13/2014 while sitting in a McDonald's, doing a Q&A and on twitter. Includes video.

Multiple officers grabbed me. I tried to turn my back to them to assist them in arresting me. I dropped the things from my hands.

“My hands are behind my back,” I said. “I’m not resisting. I’m not resisting.” At which point one officer said: “You’re resisting. Stop resisting.”

That was when I was most afraid — more afraid than of the tear gas and rubber bullets.

In Ferguson, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery gives account of his arrest

Ryan J. Reilly of the Huffington Post was also at the same McDonald's on 8/13/14.

"The officer in question, who I repeatedly later asked for his name, grabbed my things and shoved them into my bag," said Reilly, who appeared on MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes" shortly after his release to recount the arrest. "He used his finger to put a pressure point on my neck."

"They essentially acted as a military force. It was incredible," Reilly said. "The worst part was he slammed my head against the glass purposefully on the way out of McDonald's and then sarcastically apologized for it."

Huffington Post Reporter Arrested In Ferguson

We here have all been screaming about this at the top of our lungs for the past few years. And now the media is a direct part of it in Ferguson, and they are witnessing it themselves. The people are speaking and as usual no one is listening and the majority wonder why things are escalating. Because as usual it falls on deaf ears or ignorance, not sure which anymore?

The actions of some of the journalists seem to be stirring up the hornets nest there a bit. I am not sure if these are some of the journalists that are causing it to escalate though. I'm just guessing they might be.

a reply to: rickymouse

The actions of some law enforcement aren't very helpful either:

WARNING: EXTREME LANGUAGE

a reply to: loam

Ryan Devereaux and Lukas Hermsmeier were arrested Monday night/very early Tuesday a.m. after the media was pulled out of the area. This is Lukas Hermsmeier's account. Lukas is a German reporter for the Bild and BZ and his account was run in both the Bild and BZ. Requires a translator to read. The Bild is the most read newspaper in Germany; however, I didn't link that one because it has a tendency of running some racy photos that would be NSFW.

Suddenly, two armored police trucks race in our direction, shoot with stun grenades and tear gas cartridges (look like hockey pucks). We run coughing in the side streets, eyes red from the gas, hiding in a front yard, about 15 minutes. Huge car lights from the streets. We come out from behind a tree - with raised hands. Screaming "Journalists, Journalists, Journalists" and "Press, Press, Press". The policemen on the truck wave us towards the main road. But there are officials before a second truck. You obviously have not understood the instructions of their colleagues, are aimed at us. A first shot. We turn, sprinting away. A hard rubber ball hits me in the right hip, one on his right knee. My colleague is also met, we both fall into the grass. They pull us up, put us cable tie so tightly that my left wrist is numb after minutes. The ball has torn my jeans, I bleed and feel a deep dull pain at the hip.

www.bz-berlin.de...

This is a huge issue. What do the police have to hide?

This is why nobody trust the police.

a reply to: loam

People there are getting more and more polarized. That is not a good thing. I bet a lot of cops are stressed from this situation. I wouldn't want that job but am glad they have people that will do it.

originally posted by: rickymouse
The actions of some of the journalists seem to be stirring up the hornets nest there a bit. I am not sure if these are some of the journalists that are causing it to escalate though. I'm just guessing they might be.

Actually, if you mean "stirring up the hornets' nest" is by attempting to do their jobs, then sure. However, what I saw occurring in Occupy was that all media was pulled several blocks away from where the police were going to confront protesters. This happened in multiple cities. First they pulled the media back and then they accosted the protesters. I learned very quickly after watching streams from Occupy that that is the order of business. Pull back the media so they cannot document and then attack. If the media were not reporting and doing their jobs, then would the media be discussing the tactics and equipment used at all? No, they would not.

a reply to: WhiteAlice

What's interesting about that is last night I saw no live reports of tear gas being used. But as the Devereaux situation makes clear, there was.

a reply to: loam

A democracy, or whatever the citizens call it these days, can't function without information flowing....

I guess that's the plan.

Account of Ansgar Graw of his arrest on Monday afternoon around 2 pm. It is titled "The Day, the US Police was (became?) my enemy" and was plastered across the paper edition's front page complete with a photo that looks more like soldiers at war than police.

Picture of the newspaper: twitter.com...

The police, your non-friend. It gets worse. A colleague, Frank Herrmann, who reported for various German regional newspapers for many years in the USA, and I went a short time later again to the spent fuel station. It's Monday, almost 2 o'clock. This section of road is at this time almost deserted, no signs of violence or rioting.

Nevertheless, the police want to scare us: "The journalists are at the eastern end of Florissant Ave, gather at the large shopping mall for your security.." But we don't feel threatened by any of them, everything is completely peaceful, and we declare that we stay on this road section and want to take some photos. "Okay, but only if you constantly move. If you stop once, you are arrested -. This is the last warning!" A young officer pulls his telling bundle with the flexible plastic hand cuffs.

Photography is difficult if you have to keep moving. So I go in small circles, from right to left and left to right, without ever remaining standing while I take focus on the gas station.

The police. who becomes your enemy. "That's enough," said the County officials, who obviously has the command. And put us in plastic restraints. We want to know his name. "My name is Donald Duck," he says.

www.welt.de...

After being told he could continue to take photos as long as he didn't stop moving and complying despite the difficulty, Ansgar Graw was arrested and when he asked the arresting officer's name, the officer replied, "My name is Donald Duck." Think about that.

Frank Herrmann, who is DC based and writes for multiple German regional papers, was also arrested at the same time Answar Graw was.

Frank Herrmann, of D.C., was arrested alongside another German newspaper correspondent, Ansgar Graw, after the pair allegedly failed to follow police instructions to vacate an empty street. They said they followed police orders.

"The bizarre thing about the situation was after he grabbed my colleague and me, we were the only people in the vicinity except half a dozen policemen," Hermann told ABC 7 News in a phone interview. "I am angry at the local police in Ferguson. I did my job."

www.wjla.com...

He corroborates that they had complied with the police's orders of continuing to move without stopping.

a reply to: loam

I have very little use for MSM reporters/journalists. They are in reality nothing more than government provocateurs. They themselves have time over time proven themselves to be bigoted, racist and entirely given over to bombast and at times, outright lying. They distort and misrepresents facts to fit their chosen narrative and are thus wholly unreliable.

Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated was arrested on August 17, 2014 and was contributing to Time Magazine:

Link to telephone interview with Klemko: baltimore.cbslocal.com...

Robert Klemko's twitter feed and it's pretty interesting outside of his arrest tweets: twitter.com...

Rob Crilly of the Telegraph UK was also arrested at the same time.

Police pointed weapon and me and Capt Johnson has threatened me with arrest. He has called squad car. V jumpy

twitter.com...

Both were arrested and released a couple minutes later by Capt. Johnson.


Neil Munshi of the Financial Times was also handcuffed in plastic ties at the same time. After Munshi and the others were released a few minutes later, he changed their being "detained".

There were three of us. He said that journo was under arrest, we started walking, he followed, he said he's under arrest bring the car

twitter.com...

It was tense, he seemed to realize it wasn't a great look, and had them release us after cuffing and searching - another cop was apologetic.

twitter.com...

Vine of Johnson saying you're under arrest to one of the above journalists: vine.co...

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: loam

I have very little use for MSM reporters/journalists. They are in reality nothing more than government provocateurs. They themselves have time over time proven themselves to be bigoted, racist and entirely given over to bombast and at times, outright lying. They distort and misrepresents facts to fit their chosen narrative and are thus wholly unreliable.

When the media are doing their jobs even at the risk of personal injury, they are doing their jobs by keeping the public informed. Many of the tactics that have been used in Ferguson, I have seen used elsewhere in the US against peaceful protesters from the rubber bullets, tear gas and even the LRAD. However, in those instances, the media pulled back and did not cover it. The police have had these things for at least three years, including their "tanks" and have been using them against peaceful protests throughout that time.

By the media doing their jobs, they are not acting as government provocateurs, which is a wholly irrational statement considering that most of the equipment was given to them by the federal government, itself, via the Department of Defense. In fact, the reason why the police were able to get those things is due to that same federal government when Congress approved the War on Terror and passed the Patriot Act.

Government provocateurs? Only if you mean that they are provoking the government to respond to their own questionable decision making and its obvious abuse and outcome.

Scott Olson of Getty Images,

We strongly object to his arrest and are committed to ensuring he is able to resume his important work of capturing some of the most iconic images of this news story.

Statement from Pancho Bernasconi, VP, News, on the arrest of Getty Images staff photographer Scott Olson in Ferguson

It raised the ire of Getty Images for sure. This is the second statement from the VP of Getty Images after Scott Olson was released:

Getty Images staff photographer Scott Olson, who was arrested this afternoon in Ferguson, Missouri, while on assignment, has been released. Scott told me tonight, “I want to be able to do my job as a member of the media and not be arrested for just doing my job.”

Getty Images condemns Scott’s arrest and is committed to ensuring that he and our other photographer colleagues are able to report this important story.

press.gettyimages.com...

Getty Photographer Scott Olson Arrested At Ferguson Protest (UPDATED)

Kerry Picket of Breitbart News was arrested on late Monday afternoon, August 18, 2014.

The State Trooper initially said that Breitbart News, a credentialed media outlet, could not walk directly to a media staging area on West Florissant Avenue and would have to take a detour.

However, a detour did not exist for pedestrians. As Picket began to walk toward the staging area being blocked by the Trooper, she was handcuffed with plastic-ties, with her hands behind her back, and told to get on her knees.

www.breitbart.com...

Picket was arrested and then released several hours later with an apology from the arresting officer and his lieutenant. Apparently, the arresting officer misunderstood an order about vehicle traffic and arrested. It's an interesting read. Interestingly enough, Breitbart has been running articles on the subject in a defensive slant of police.

Kerry's twitter where her only mention of the arrest is a RT of her police bag: twitter.com...

Some choice quotes from various journalism organizations though the full statements are all worth a read as some include mentions of the threats of violence (guns pointing at journalists), gassing, and macing of journalists. Two very large German journalism organizations are also very angry but I'm having difficulty finding their pages. 3-4 of the reporters arrested were German so the German press is roundly not pleased.

SAG-AFTRA:

Journalists have an obligation to report what is happening in their community, and the world. We ask that law enforcement in Ferguson permit journalists the freedom to do their jobs.

www.sagaftra.org...

Radio Television Digital News Association:

"The police cannot continue to say one thing and do another," added RTDNA Executive Director Mike Cavender. "Everyone recognizes the difficult job they are doing, but their focus should be on investigating the shooting that sparked the protests and apprehending those who are responsible for violent actions, not impeding those who are keeping the public informed about the situation."

rtdna.org...

Asian American Journalists Association:

What’s happening in Ferguson is important for many reasons, particularly when racial tensions continue to divide some of our communities. We need journalists — not only to chronicle events but to serve as the ears and eyes of our society. We need journalists to be our watchdogs.

www.aaja.org...

National Press Photographers Association:

In a time of technology and terrorism, citizens and visual journalists throughout the world have risked and in some cases given their lives to provide visual proof of governmental activities. Sadly, what is viewed as heroic abroad is often considered as suspect at home.

nppa.org...


German story on the subject (in English):
Police in Ferguson are violating the First Amendment, legal expert says

a reply to: loam

They are a bunch of pikers compared to what old dishonest Abe did prior to the war. He shut down whole papers and pulled rendetions on many a publisher and reporter of the day. This is mild compared to then.